Peter is a licensed clinical social worker with a passion for helping older adults access care, education, resources and community supports. In his role as Program Manager for Geriatrics, Peter supports a variety of efforts focused on enhancing and improving the care of older adults throughout MaineHealth’s service area. Prior to joining MaineHealth, Peter served as the Program Director for the Alzheimer’s Association, as well as various roles in long-term care all with a focus on improving the care for people living with dementia and their caregivers since 2006. He holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Maine Farmington and an MSW from the University of Southern Maine. Peter has learned a lot from the older adults he has gotten to know and when he is not working he makes sure to take time to enjoy his family, the outdoors, and all that the state of Maine has to offer.

Frank Brooks has been active in social justice change efforts in Maine for several decades (longevity matters!), including legislative advocacy for sexual and gender minorities. This activism informed his teaching of social welfare policy and practice courses when he taught in both the USM Social Work program 1993-2003 and the UNE School of Social Work MSW program from 2104-2021. He developed and taught courses on social work practice with LGBTQIA individuals as well as gerontological social work practice.  Frank retired from teaching in 2021.  His clinical social work practice focused on human sexuality issues, especially sexual orientation, and gender identity.  He continues to provide consultation part-time.

He is former chairperson of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Maine Chapter’s Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Advocacy. He served on the Council of Social Work Education’s Council on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of SAGE Maine, and he served on the Maine legislature’s Joint Standing Judiciary Committee’s Family Law Advisory Commission (FLAC) from 2012-2022.   He has served on boards of the Kids First Center, the ACLU of Maine, and Maine TRANSNET.  He was a founding member of the Portland Area LGBT Parents Group. He lives in Portland with his husband Marvin Ellison and is the proud father of a son, Sam and his wife, Keisha, and is now a grandpa to two wonderful granddaughters Maya and Zoe.

Sharon is the Senior Program Manager of the AgingME2 Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) at the University of New England Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH). She is a longtime supporter of issues impacting older adults and their families in the health care and social service sectors. Many of her professional initiatives have involved replicating evidence-based models of care that improve care of older adult populations. When first moving to Maine, Sharon initiated an in-home mental health assessment program for the state of Maine mid-coast region. She has since served in administrative roles at Martin’s Point, SeniorsPlus and MaineHealth. She holds a BA in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross and an MSW in clinical social work from the Boston University School of Social Work.

Sara is the Director of Assisted Living for Avesta Housing. Sara joined Avesta Housing in 2009 as a Senior Resident Service Coordinator. Sara obtained her Residential Care Administrators License in 2014 and was promoted to Director of Assisted Living. In this role she serves as the Administrator of Inn at Village Square, Avesta’s 37-bed assisted living facility. Sara oversees a staff of 31 people across eight departments, and maintains the regulatory and licensing requirements as well as resident health and safety. Prior to Avesta, Sara worked as a supervisor of a Residential Care Facility for Sweetser Children’s Services. In this role Sara worked with children and families with a variety of mental and behavioral health needs. She studied Psychology at the University of Southern Maine and has worked in helping professions for more than 18 years.

In 2023, Bill retired as the owner of the Home Instead in Gorham, which serves Cumberland County. He opened the business in November of 2000, marking a dramatic career change. Before moving to Maine in 2000, Bill made his living and was widely known throughout the Midwest as an orchestral and ballet conductor, cellist, radio personality, and educator. Bill began his professional musical life as Assistant Principal Cellist of the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as guest conductor with many symphonies across the country. A diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis prompted Bill to explore career options outside the realm of music. When he learned of the opportunity to open a Home Instead franchise, he enthusiastically embraced it, largely because of his family’s experience dealing with the challenges of caring for his stepmother, who had died from Alzheimer’s disease. Bill has been an active with the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, including as Chair of the Board of Directors. Bill serves on our Power in Aging Committee and is a Leadership Exchange on Ageism facilitator.

Donna is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Waldo Community Action Partners, which provides services and supports to our low-income community members including medical and public transportation, early childhood eduction, home repair and weatherization, heating assistance, and programs that address food insecurity. She has been practicing social work for 29 years, much of that time in the behavioral healthcare field. Donna has also worked for three large community mential health centers in Maine developing, managing, and running rental subsidy programs, homeless transitional housing, independent housing, residential treatment services, and other community services. She earned her undergraduate BS from the Univesity of Maine, with a major in Biology. She received her MSW from the University of New Egland in Biddeford. Donna resides in Belfast ith her family and enjoys coaching high school swimming.

Kevin is the President & CEO of Maine Community Health Options, a nonprofit health insurance company aimed at producing the greatest value in insurance benefits and expanding coverage options for Maine individuals, families and employers.  In this role since 2012, he led the development and growth of Maine’s only Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan.  Prior to taking on this role, Kevin was CEO of the Maine Primary Care Association for more than a decade.  He also serves on the boards of HealthInfoNet and CEI.  He has a MA of Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a BA from Dartmouth College.

Claudette Ndayininahaze acts as the executive director of In Her Presence. She has developed an effective network of resources that provides needed support for the immigrant, asylee, and refugee communities on a grassroots level. She is a leader in the Portland immigrant community, encourages individuals and communities to help themselves, but have never lost sight of the importance of compassion, gratitude, and modesty, which allows others to feel comfortable coming to her for assistance.  A native of Burundi, Claudette has a bachelor’s degree in administration/management from the University of Burundi and was a National Sales Manager for a beverage brewery whose majority stockholder was Heineken.  Claudette has served on the boards of different community organizations: Hope Acts, First Parish Unitarian Universalist (FPUU), Youth Family Outreach (YFO), Vice president of Burundi Community Association of Maine (B CAM), Furniture Friends (FF), Welcoming Immigrants Network (WIN) and Financial Stability Expert Panel with United Way.

Mary Jane is the Chief Executive Officer at North Country Associates – the largest provider of long-term care services in the state of Maine. She has worked at North Country for the past 32 years. Mary Jane is a Multi-Level Administrator, Board member and recent past chair for Maine Health Care Association, a member of the Maine Council on Aging, Multi-disciplinary Task Forces in the state and a member of the Maine Council of Elder Abuse Prevention.  Her knowledge of care and services across the continuum of care assists legislators to fully understand the impact their decisions make on the elders and caregivers of Maine.

Betsy is the President & CEO of SeniorsPlus — the Area Agency on Aging for Western Maine. She currently serves as President of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging and is the Treasurer for the Maine Council on Aging. Betsy also is a co-convener of the Speaker’s Maine Aging Initiative for the Health and Well-Being Workgroup. Prior to joining SeniorsPlus in May 2009, Betsy worked for the People’s Regional Opportunity Program (PROP), the Community Action Agency for Cumberland County. During her 20 years at PROP as a senior manager, Betsy was responsible for the oversight of all programming and was also responsible for the development of five affordable housing projects. Betsy holds a BA in Social Work from University of Southern Maine and a MSW from University of Connecticut.

Angela is the President/ CEO of the Maine Health Care Association. Prior to this role, she held similar positions with the Maine Dental Association and the Maine Osteopathic Association. Angela has over 20 years of non-profit management experience with a focus on health care, reimbursement policy, public health, and communications. She graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor and master’s degree in communication, with concentrations in health communication and public relations. Angela is a graduate of the Hanley Health Leadership Development program as well as a past president of the American Osteopathic Society of Executive Directors and the Maine Public Health Association. In 2017, she received national recognition from the American Academy of Osteopathy with an Academy Award, the highest honor bestowed upon non-physicians. Angela has served on various public health committees and is a current volunteer for United Way of Kennebec County. Angela resides in Sidney, ME with her husband and daughter and she enjoys running, hiking, and kayaking in her spare time. 

Catherine serves as the Vice President of Special Projects for Spurwink where she began her employment on April 1, 2024 after 33 years of service to Tri-County Mental Health Services. Catherine believes in developing models that align with the principles of healthcare reform and is passionate about ensuring access, bending the cost curve, and reducing stigma associated with behavioral health. She believes integration of mind and body is critical to achieving optimal outcomes. Catherine is proud to represent an agency noted for its trauma-informed, recovery-based approach to services and looks forward to improving service delivery through collaboration and coordination with other key providers and resources across our Maine communities.

Catherine is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with a MS in Counselor Education, a Nationally Certified Counselor, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor. She has completed the certificate program in Primary Care Behavioral Health from University of MA and is a graduate of the Hanley Leadership Development program for healthcare leaders in Maine. Catherine currently serves as a board member for The Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership/Maine Medical Education Trust, the Maine Council on Aging, and the Alliance for Addictions and Mental Health Services.

As the Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging, Jess leads and manages a broad, multidisciplinary network of more than 130 organizations, businesses and community members working to ensure we can all live healthy, engaged and secure lives as we age in our homes and in community settings. In this role, she advances statewide public policy initiatives, provides leadership within Maine’s aging network, and supports Maine’s Legislative Caucus on Aging. Jess’s areas of specific focus include housing, transportation, lifelong communities, direct care workforce, and care across all settings. She oversees the Maine Municipal Data Across Sectors for Healthy Aging Initiative, the Maine Power in Aging Project, the Equity & Healthy Aging Initiative, and the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging, a regional learning collaborative aimed at increasing the collective impact of community-driven aging initiatives. Jess annually organizes statewide and regional events that advance aging policy, including the Maine Wisdom Summit. She co-authored Building a Collaborative Community Response to Aging in Place and Maine’s Blueprint for Action on Healthy Aging. A licensed Maine attorney, Jess worked for 17 years in the Maine Office of the Attorney General. As Executive Director for the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging, she co-founded the MCOA in 2012, and became its first Executive Director in 2018. Jess graduated from the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.